I, perhaps like you, only heard the term tarball in the last week or two. A tarball can refer to a certain type of computer file, but in this case, I mean the tarball associated with oil.
When the media began reporting tarball findings in the Florida Keys I paid attention. I live very near to the Gulf Coast shore in Sarasota Florida. I think all of us would expect that the tarballs were some manifestation of the oil that is spewing from the Deepwater Horizon site. I was surprised to hear that the tarballs found were NOT from that spill. That made me question my whole notion of the tarball.
A tarball is indeed a remnant of an oil spill. NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration- explains it very well and to summarize, the oil that escapes from tankers or wells will go through many changes brought about by the elements, time, temperature and the like. The oil begins as one big mass and while some lighter components of the oil will evaporate and some will break down, the majority is spread out into smaller pools of oil. This occurs from the tide and wind and even the temperature of the air and water. The division continues over time and tarballs result. They can be as big as a small plate or the size of a marble or pea. Often they will become hard on the outside but remain sticky inside. A tarball that becomes crusty like that, like a toasted marshmallow NOAA says, is said to be weathered. (the balls should be avoided and can cause irritation to peoples skin if you see any you should call the Joint Information Center at 251-445-8965.)
If the tarballs are NOT from the Deepwater Horizon explosion - where are they from? There is actually a test that can be performed to get the "fingerprint" of the tarball and link it back to a previous spill. The ocean is vast and wells exist off many lands while tankers sail the waters world wide.
Yesterday I was saddened to read of the marine life in the Louisiana marshes. Pelicans who cannot fly because their wings are oil coated. I always feel the strongest angst when animals and very young children suffer so- especially due to NO ACTION on their part. The fish and sea fowl, the mammals of the deep - innocents. The worst part is that we cannot tell them what happened - we cannot explain to them why they cannot fly or why their young may die.
I wish there were no tarballs. To read more about them click here.
